The Underground
by Effulgent613
Summary: The war is over. And Voldemort won. A crushed Harry and his few remaining friends go to fight the battle they have already lost...
1. The Tunnel

If you go down in London's Underground, you'll see the abandoned stair case and the broken ticket boxes. Go past the battered tracks, and the subway cars that lie on their sides like they had been slammed against the walls. Keep walking, in the dark, for the lights that used to make the subway famous are long gone. Try to keep a hand on the wall, and try not to shudder at what you hear down there. But don't worry, you'll never run into anyone in the pitch-dark hellhole. The ones that used to walk these roads and ride these rails are long gone. They'll never come back, and the tunnels deep underground that used to belong to happy families and bustling business men are empty. After everyone left, the rats came. But even they didn't wish to stay in a place as empty and dark as a long forgotten soul. Speaking of which, keep following the tracks to the long empty restrooms, and you'll find some. Walk past the sinks that have been wrenched from the wall and the broken porcelain toilets that used to be carefully tended. Go into the second to last stall, don't worry; the door is long gone. Push back the wall behind the toilet; there's nothing holding it up, it will fall with the slightest pressure. Then look inside. Find the six lost souls, each one emotionally beaten and physically bruised. But one, the one who was supposed to save the world, is the worst. Look into his green eyes, and see The-Boy-Who-Lived. 


	2. Cautious Minds

Chapter 2               Cautious Minds

The mangy dog trotted down into the tunnel.  Its red fur would have been bright and glossy had it been healthy.  But its fur was matted and tough and scars littered its underbelly.  The very air around it seemed to have an aura of malnutrition and hunger.  It was so tensed that it jumped at the smallest sound, but the look in its eyes warned any own stupid enough to be in this part of London at night to stay away.

It seemed to know exactly where it was headed to, and the rats left it alone after the dog began to growl.  They knew it would kill.

Rounding the corner, it started to run quickly, all fear of being pursued lost.  Finally it came to the bathroom stall, and jumped over the fallen wall.

Five figures lay dejectedly in the half-gloom, the room only lit by a make-shift lantern.

They each lifted their heads at the coming of the dog.  The candlelight reflected eerily on their gaunt faces, but even in their state two managed a mangled grin.

"Thank God, we were thinking something, something had happened." his smile faded.

The dog only nodded and spit out a tattered, slimy newspaper and the better part of a chicken.

Four eyes lit up but one at the sight of the chicken, but the other one hardly noticed it.  He grabbed the paper and tried to salvage what remained of the articles.

"So. how did it go this time?" asked a red haired boy as he ripped a piece off the chicken.  He looked to were the dog had been a second ago, but the dog was gone.

In its place was a girl, her long red hair uneven and snarled.  Her robes were in the best condition of the six there, but that wasn't saying much.

"Not too bad.  Had a run in with a few crows, and some old hag gave me the willies when I was getting the newspaper.  At least its new though.  Not that Daily Prophets are getting hard to find.  I would've had stroke if I'd've seen a Daily Telegraph."  She gave a short bark of a laugh.

Another boy with red hair, smaller than the first gave her a smile.  "Well, good job this time.  Prime grub this."  He attempted to swallow his chicken in one bite but nearly choked.

"Careful, careful. you wouldn't want to not have room for."  She fished in her pocket for a moment, and brought something out with a flourish.  "This!"

Another red haired boy stared at her.  He looked so like the first you could swear they were twins.  "Blimey!  You didn't.  It can't be?  Bloody hell!"

"I figured you fellows could use some nourishment.  I had to fight some rats for it, but they found out who's boss."  She looked around at the faces that were showing honest smiles.  "Never though you'd be so happy just to see some fruit."  She grinned and started peeling the orange with her thumb.

The three boys finished off their share of the chicken quickly and waited for her to finish.

Two pairs of eyes looked over the newspaper.

"Why was that in your pocket?"  The voice was quiet, but immediately everyone was still, even the girl.

"Well, uh, you see."

"To put that in your pocket you would have had to change out of your form.  You changed out of your form, didn't you?!"

"I figured someone would notice if a dog was walking around with an orange, of all things, in its mouth!"

"You could've betrayed our position!  We could have Hit Wizards in the town this very minute!"

At this, everyone crouched in a fit of instinctive paranoia.

"I checked, honestly I did.  It was just there at the top of the tunnel!  And I know you've been wanting more than half eaten chicken."

"There were rats, there weren't there!  Dammit, one of them could've been Pettigrew or worse!"

"C'mon, its just an orange.  And when I said I checked, I checked that the rats were rats.

"What if someone was watching you!  What if this time, you were wrong?  I don't care if you see some ice cream and shepard's pie!"  At this everyone was mouths started watering.  "Do NOT change out of your form under any circumstances, do you understand!?"  

The girl whimpered, but she knew he was right.  "Sorry, really I am, sorry."

He turned back to his paper, and the four red heads finished their chicken and orange in silence, leaving two portions of each on the floor on top of an old paper bag.

The boy went back to his newspaper, never noticing his food.  The last person leaned against the walls with eyes closed.  The tendrils of light peeping from the lantern were not glowing bright enough to reach, leaving the figure cloaked in shadow.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Well, cliffhanger!

Sorry I haven't updated in so long!  Honestly, I'd sort of forgotten about it before JessieRose reviewed and reminded me.

So that's why I'm dedicating this chapter to JessieRose and HongMing, my two reviewers.  Thank you!

Keep reviewing!


	3. Shaken

Chapter 3  
  
Thank God he had found them. This wasn't much of a refuge, but it was all he, no they had. He remembered running crazily through London, looking at the horror around him. He remembered thinking that the bombings that had haunted the city after the second World War was nothing compared to this. Those bombs didn't kill muggles by the millions. Those bombs didn't leave the people who had been hit in terribly agony before they died. Those bombs didn't leave the houses untouched so that raiders of He-Who-Must-Not- Be-Named could rummage through the houses, taking what they fancied. Those bombs weren't the sound of inevitability washing over not just Britain, but the world. Thank God he had run into them outside the subway, thank God he was still alive. He was lucky.  
  
He looked up and gave a lopsided grin. There were still two shares of food left. He grabbed his piece of chicken and sat back in his corner to watch the people who shared his prison.  
  
The twins were asleep, no doubt about that. Only in sleep did they let their guard down, and only in sleep could one see through their smiles to the darkness that infested everyone there.  
  
The girl too was asleep. She would have to; changing forms was exhausting. She used to sleep as a dog, but now even to change to find food was almost too much to bear.  
  
The other red head was nodding off, but he wasn't fully asleep. His guard was still up, and his eyes kept darting from the door to the ceiling to the other figures huddled in different corners.  
  
Then there was the boy. The boy had abandoned the newspaper, and sleep had claimed him too. But his guard was up, and his entire body was tensed and ready for the minutest sound that would have him on his feet. His guard was always up. He was always ready for the thing that everyone knew would inevitably come. He hadn't eaten, and hadn't eaten for days.  
  
The newspaper just lay there on the filthy floor, and with a reach of a dark arm, he grabbed it. It was pretty recent, only four days old. The red head watched him as he picked up the paper, then went back to watching the door and the other figures.  
  
Rita Skeeter's Scoop  
  
The day of absolute power is just within the reach of the powerful Lord Voldemort as his final efforts against the mudblood-lovers and rebels continue. Last Wednesday, the last hurdle was jumped as the infamous Harry Potter was caught while hiding in terror from our beloved Lord. The Boy Who Lived lives no more. As Potter stood before the row of our Lord's Hit Wizards, he remarked, "You'll get yours, bastards! I'll come back! You can't stop me forever!" These last words of his show how far beyond sanity he had become, and after several mad attempts to storm through the lines of wizards, and they were forced to fire. Draco Malfoy, a close friend of Potter's before Potter started going mad, commented, "He was always a bit off. I was friends with him originally because of pity, but as I came to know him, I valued him as a friend. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. He started to have disturbing 'visions,' seeing dead people, and becoming extremely paranoid. When I tried to help him, he pushed me away. Sadly, I'm not surprised it ended this way. I just wish it wouldn't have. I can understand though. The state Harry was in was so far beyond sanity that it [his demise] could not have been prevented."  
  
As the battle continues, Lord Voldemort's forces grow stronger as the rebel's grow weaker. There is little left of the pathetic rebel's attempts against the new shift in power. It will not be long now until Lord Voldemort's ideal power control is reached.  
  
While most of the rebel forces have died away in the face of the Ultimate Dark Arts Master, a scarce few remain. The three youngest mudblood-loving brothers of the Weasley family are still at large. Ronald Weasley, a close friend of The Boy Who No Longer Lives, and Fred and George Weasley, the original owners of the now extinct prankshop chain Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They shouldn't be able to hide much longer. Their flaming red hair and impossibly large amount of freckles will make them easy targets for our Lord's Hit Wizards.  
  
In an update from last week's article, Hermione Granger, the mudblood girlfriend of The Boy Who No Longer Lives, has recently been caught in China while attempting a futile escape to India where a last, decaying muggle refugee was located. Also caught was Luna Lovegood, a mad witch who was found in Sweden searching for what she called "Shnorkleworms." Although she was possibly capable of rage-filled outbursts, she has now been well contained and stored away in her well-deserved destination of Azkaban. Sibyll Trelawney, another fleer of Lord Voldemort's ever-numerous forces, was captured and is now gladly working as Lord Voldemort's personal seer.  
  
Through these troubling times, there is a dark light at the end of the tunnel however. Can one really trust previous alliances based on dealings with madmen like Harry Potter? Turn instead to our Lord, who is security in these troubled times.  
  
-Rita Skeeter  
  
The boy gave a chuckle as he finished it, then started to read it aloud. By the time he had finished, everyone was awake, except the dog and the dark-haired boy.  
  
"Bloody hell!" yelled one of the twins.  
  
"Of all the things.... I'd like to strangle that little bitch!" cried the other.  
  
"I'd do far worse, that's so typical of Rita!"  
  
"Someone who always picks the winning side... Dammit!"  
  
"Calm down. It doesn't do any good to get upset..." the red head mumbled, half to himself.  
  
Still the boy who had just put down the paper was surprised. Everyone had changed. The twin's weren't listening, they were arguing over death threats in low, cracked voices.  
  
"Ties some concrete to her shoes."  
  
"No, slip her some cyanide." They both laughed morbidly.  
  
"Please stop..." the girl mumbled sleepily.  
  
Then screamed as the floor pitched and threw everyone four feet into the air before crashing down again.  
  
"The roof's collapsing, get out now! Now!"  
  
The lantern fell over by a falling piece of wall and the room was filled in complete darkness. Someone screamed again as a wall to the bathroom collapsed, leaving them in their tomb.  
  
^  
  
Sorry it took so long, but its here! Tell me how you like it!  
  
I'm dedicating this chapter to SparklyCherry and Hope12, who have me on their favorite authors list. Thank you!  
  
Can anyone help me with getting italics and bold in? I don't know how, and I'd really appreciate it if someone could help me out. I'll dedicate the next chapter to however helps me.  
  
Any guesses who the sixth person is? I dropped some hints about who they are, and kudos to anyone who guesses right!  
  
Sorry if anyone was confused. If it was confusing because I didn't say names, just review and tell me. I'll see what I can do.  
  
Review, Review, REVIEW!! 


	4. Surprise Surprise

Chapter 4

The dust settled. A voice rang out in the darkness. It was a female, high pitched with hysteria.

"Harry? Ron! Fred! George! Dean!?" She stumbled forward in the darkness, searching. Someone brushed her arm and she screamed.

"Stop. Stop! It's only me…" Harry's voice rang with more emotion than it had for weeks.

She kept screaming though. "_Dad! Mum! _Where are you? I can't see!" She crumpled into a ball crying. Ron's voice came through the darkness.

"Hush, Ginny. It'll be okay. Really…" His voice lacked conviction, and he knew their mum would never come. Never again. He knelt down and murmured into her ear reassuring words.

Someone else coughed in the darkness. "Dean? Is that you?"

"I hope so…" he began coughing, gasping for air till someone slapped him on his back.

"It's okay. I'm all right. Everything is fine, fine, fine…"

Harry could hear the panic in Dean's voice. They couldn't panic. They had to focus. "Pull yourself together! We _need_ to get out, and we need to get out now! As I yell your names, answer back if you can."

He knew Ginny was there, but he yelled her name anyways. "Ginny!"

"Here."

"Ron!"

"Here."

"Fred!"

"Sorry mate, only Gred and Forge are here, you must be mista-"

Harry cut him off. "George!"

A sigh. "Here."

"Dean!"

"Here." The panic in his voice was gone, back under control at least.

"Now listen. We don't want to use magic. We don't want to use anything that can expose our situation. So, everyone, I know I'm right behind the bathroom wall, at least where it used to be. Everyone, dig, now!"

They did. Each piece of rocky dirt and crumbling concrete out of their path meant freedom. Panic was a boulder in their path, and they tried to push it out of their minds.

Fred was lagging. He was tired, and a stone had bruised his arm during the shaking. If this really was freedom, then it was freedom from everything. He set it in his mind. Each pit of earth he moved wasn't just freedom from the cell, but from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He dug more with renewed vigor.

The dark was frightening Ginny. To her, she was digging in the dark, searching blindly for away out. Only blind luck could lead them out of the blunders of blind hope. _Just do it. Do it for Harry. For Mum and Dad. For Hermione._

Suddenly, the sound of someone striking metal.

"Damn," George muttered weakly, rubbing his head where he had hit the toilet.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Calm settled. Almost all panic was gone.

Except for Harry. He was already on his feet.

"What made that! What made that noise… what shook everything…?"

The others finally remembered what had got them in that situation in the first place. They all got noisily to their feet, half exhausted from their dig.

Harry weighed his options in his mind. _They're tired. If we meet someone from Voldemort, we won't be able to defend ourselves well. But if it's someone else… someone from out side… we could miss them forever._

"Ginny!"

"Yes?"

"Turn to dog, and look to the start of the tunnel, where the subway stairs begin. See if you can see anything. We'll wait at the bottom of the stairs, in case something useful has happened."

He hadn't said to go yet, but everyone knew he meant it. Ginny was worn out, but she slowly turned to her dog form and trotted out of the tunnel, the others close behind.

A watery sunlight filled the rubble filled streets. A part of a building had exploded and…

Ginny changed out of her from as fast she could.

"Harry." She kept her voice low. "Come and see this…"

By the other sidewalk, cement was piled high into a gigantic mound. But that was normal. What wasn't was a pair of feet and an arm protruding from the cement pile. Covered in robes. Death-eaters robes. A head showed itself too as some of the cement on top crumbled and fell away. Harry couldn't see the face, but it was covered in Death Eaters robes too.

"What in hell…?" He whispered.

Suddenly the top of the pile shifted. Moved. An arm extended, followed by a head and shoulders.

"**Holy shit, its…**"

Who is this person? I want people to guess. Who do you think it is? Percy in Dobby's tea cozy? A weeping Winky? Who? Guess!

Thanks to all my reviewers.

Annie: Hope this chapter explained things for you.

Anna: Thanks for the review! These kind of reviews really keep me going. But you'll just have to wait and see what happens with Hermione…

**Evil sticky tape**: Wow, Lee Jordan is a good guess. Wait! Evil sticky tape. Evil sticky tape… I know you! Magpie and a Ship's Brother! Update that story; it's good!

**JKIJ**: Sorry, it's not Dudley. Nice guess though, I like the way you think. As for breaking out their friends from Azkaban… well we'll just have to wait and see won't we?

**Hope12**: Sorry for it was a cliff. But if you thought Chapter 3 was bad, what do you think of this one?!

**JessieRose**: Thanks for the hint, I hope it works.

**HongMing**: I'm fairly sure I said there were six people, but it may have been a mistake on my part. A thousand pardons.

**crazy-weasley**: Thanks for reviewing, and how's this for an update?

**Fairyangel24**: I hope this chapter cleared everything up for you.


	5. Prisoner of War

Chapter 5

"—**Snape!**"

George reached over to over his twin's mouth, but it was too late. Snape, for that was who the man from the pile was, had heard them. He attempted to turn wildly, but was mostly trapped by the rubble surrounding him.

Growling, Harry silently cursed the two for creeping up. He hoped that Ron and Dean were still where they belonged, then grabbed Ginny's shoulder and pulled her down as he fell to the ground. Behind him, he heard the twins do the same thing. From here, nobody could see the Death Eaters, but with luck, the Death Eaters wouldn't find them.

They should've known that their luck had long run out.

"Show yourself!" a man barked, and Harry could instantly recognize Snape's voice. He hadn't been his pupil for six years for nothing.

_There's no way to tell Snape's with us…_ Harry thought frantically. _When it looks like everything is going to hell, its logical to side with Satan. But he was loyal to Dumbledore… Damn it, **Damn it!** There's no way to tell… but I can't endanger everyone else._

Snape had managed to free himself from the debris, and with each step he was coming closer and closer to the head of the stairs. Closer to everyone else, closer to the last resistance…

Suddenly getting an idea, Harry groped around on the ground till he clasped a large rock in his hand. Then he stood up as fast as he could. "Looking for someone?" he asked coolly.

All the color from Snape's face drained, and he looked at Harry as if he wasn't sure if he was real or not. He took a few cautious steps forward. "…_Harry?_ Is it really you? Thank Merlin, I've been look—"

Wrapping his fingers as tightly around the rock as he could, Harry smashed his fist into the side of Snape head. He fell to ground, unconscious, as Harry examined his hand. It didn't hurt now, but he knew that in a minute it would smart like hell.

From the mouth of the tunnel a tentative voice rang out. "Harry… what are we going to do now?"

He just shook his head at Ginny's question. Of course he was supposed to know. He was the fearless leader. Without him, they didn't know what to do. The familiar burden of the safety of everyone around him fell heavier on his shoulders. Instead of speaking out loud, however, he just shook his head slowly.

Everyone had completely abandoned the cover of the tunnel, and Harry could see Ron and Dean coming up to join the rest of them in the open sunshine. He felt like he didn't have the energy to tell them off, and doubted any would listen.

George watched Harry eagerly. "Is Snape dead?"

Harry shook his head silently.

Cursing, George replied, "C'mon, it's the least you could've done!"

Fred smiled brightly up at Harry. "I vote that we take this opportunity so that Ginny can use the Bat-Bogey hex. Scare him out of any wits he's got left when he wakes up."

Not answering, Harry bent done to check Snape's pulse. It was still strong.

"Mate… shouldn't we check the other two Death Eaters? Check to make sure they're dead?"

Mentally cursing himself for not being able to think of it before Ron had to say it, Harry nodded curtly and cautiously approached the bodies still buried in the rubble. Taking the mask of the first one, it revealed a young man, with light brown hair. "New recruit…" he muttered to himself. Checking for sign of life in the man's neck, he found none. He shook his head to signal the others, and moved to the next man.

The other man's mask was almost off, so it was quick work to remove it, revealing an older man with black hair. Harry quickly checked for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when there was none in this man too.

He hopped nimbly from the wreckage. "I've got no clues to who the first man was, but the other man is definitely MacNair. They're both dead."

Ginny snorted through her nose and said, "Good riddance." Harry couldn't help but agree.

Dean was standing the farthest away from Snape, and he looked from one person to another, his face the picture of confusion. "Why did you just knock out Snape? Wasn't he with Dumbledore? He was our professor…"

George rolled his eyes. "He was also a Death Eater."

Seeing Dean's eyes widen in alarm, Ron quickly filled in. "He worked for Dumbledore secretly though. So, now, there's no way to tell who he's with."

Harry was busy searching through Snape's robes, looking for any weapon. To his surprise, he was unarmed. "I guess we just wait till he wakes up, and see what he has to say."

They all sat in an eerie circle around Snape's unconscious form. In a few minutes, he started waking up; groaning and clutching the side of his head. Finally he sat up and opened his eyes.

To look straight into the eyes of the Boy-Who-Lived.

-----------

First, I just want to say **SORRY!** to everyone! I haven't updated in a seriously long time, but don't hate me for it. I've got lots of ideas of where this is going too, so I should manage pretty consistent updates.

Thanks to all my reviewers, I hope some of you come back!

Thanks to: **Ghost, **_Sploogal,_** JKIJ,**_ HongMing,_** JessieRose,**_ Fuschia Nicole,_** Anna, **_ahbahh,_ and **Fairyangel24**

You all had great guesses, but kudos to ahbahh and Fairyangel24, they both guessed right! hands cookies out all around

I promise to update within two weeks. Your reviews will motivate me to update faster! I've got a L/J story up now called Five Steps. It'd be smashing if any of you would read it!


	6. Revelations

Chapter 6

"Harry!  Thank God I found you, everyone thinks you're dead..."  Snape was looking incredibly elated, the way he used to look while humiliating Harry.  His eyes were so large Harry was sure that he'd pop a blood vessel.

A random thought ran through Harry's head before he repressed it.  _Isn't this amusing?  He's actually glad to see **me**._  He closed his eyes tightly, then opened them quickly.  _Concentrate.  Concentrate at the task at hand._  "Don't make any false move.  If you take me down, you'll be dead before you can blink." 

Pleading overcame the elation on Snape's face, an expression that none present had seen on him before.  "You've misunderstood.  I have _always_ been loyal to Dumbledore."  His face darkened.  "Even in death."

"Why should we believe you?  _Snivellus._" 

Snape cringed.

"Why should we believe that you still stand by a man who's enemy has gained complete control?  How are we to know that you've haven't sided with the winning team?"

"Why?  Because it's the truth, that's why!"  Snape began to wave his hands wildly in the air, as if desperately grasping for a lifeline.  His gaze fell on the two dead Death Eaters, lying on the pavement.  "If I was still working for You-Know-Who, than why would I kill his men?"

Harry leaned in close, his disgust barely hidden.  "Tell me **everything** you know."

Gulping, he nodded quickly.

"After the Last Battle, when Dumbledore fell, I thought that everything was lost."

A mutter came from the crowd behind Harry. "Everything _is_ lost."

"Don't talk that way!  Negativity can destroy us."  Everyone knew Harry's comment made sense, and who ever had interrupted Snape stayed silent now.

"Continue."

"I went back to the Dark Lord, and I was thinking of how I could die, so that as many Death Eaters died with me as possible.  They had grown overconfident, even more so now.  I was certain I could take down a few with me, just so that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wouldn't have the final word.

"I was out on a raid to salvage materials from abandoned wizard houses, oh… maybe two or three months after the Last Battle.  I went out alone, since no one under the Dark Lord's banner had been attacked in over a month and a half.  The ones truly loyal to Dumbledore had perished in the Last Battle, and no one expected resistance.  It was a habit of mine to give a portion of whatever I found to You-Know-Who, and keep the remainder for myself so that when the moment came, I could what I had to retaliate.  He never questioned me doing so, must Death Eaters did, and he allowed them their bonuses in exchange for total servility."

Ron gave a frustrated groan.  "Get to the point, scum.  Stop wasting our time with pointless information."

Harry gave a silent nod in agreement, but everyone knew he meant it as much as Ron did, even if he said little.

Bobbing his head, Snape replied.  "I'm just trying to fill you in with background information, is all.  Anyway, well I was nearly done with the raid, I apperated to a house.  It was only a home of a muggle-born witch, so no one had searched it before.  Basically, it was busy work.  The house was in complete ruins, and most of the sides had collapsed into the cellar, with the roof crumbling on top.  I performed a simple banishing spell, and the entire cellar was shown."  He paused for emphasis.

"Get on with it."  Harry gave him a cold stare.

"I was sure they were the only ones, but now that I've found you, there may be many more."

Harry made a low growling in the back of his throat; a clear warning.

Seeing that Harry could snap at any time, he quickly finished his tale.  "There are others out there, Harry.  There are other survivors, still loyal, still true, hiding out.  I don't even think they know why, maybe the same reason you are.  They're still hoping, hope against hope, that _something_ will happen, change the tide for them."

"Others of us…  it's not possible, is it?"  Ginny mumbled to herself, then looked around, confused.

The twins were muttering to themselves or each other, it was impossible to tell which.  Fred was still eyeing Snape suspiciously, and George too, seemed unconvinced.  It wouldn't matter who said it, Ginny thought with a wince, they'd believe no one who said such, till they themselves saw it.  They'd lived too long on the edge like this to place trust in anyone beside their leader.  Yes, if Harry would've been the one to tell them that others were out there, they would've believed.  But no one else.

Gazing at Harry, Ron seemed to be looking to him for orders.  If Harry was their General, Ron was Second-In-Command, his right hand man.  Ron would trust if Harry trusted, and would fight if Harry fought.  Whether Harry realized it or not, Ron had complete faith in him, and his loyalty had never wavered since back in the days at Hogwarts.  If Harry could realize what a valuable friend he had, maybe he could share the load.  But he always seemed oblivious beyond the thought of his final goal.

Dean was simply staring about wildly, still hopelessly confused.  He'd never fully understood what was really happening, and the others had never fully told him everything.  Ginny was fairly certain he trusted Snape at least a little, but it was hard to tell.  Like everyone else, his face had become a mask, and his emotions rarely showed except in times like these.

Their leader's face, as always, was totally unreadable.  Only he knew what transpired in his mind.

Kneeling down, Snape clasped his hands together.  No one had ever seen him this vulnerable before.  This war has really broken him, Ginny thought with a start.

"They're waiting for something, _someone_ to help them.  I helped them, aiding them in sporadically moving their camp, and getting supplies whenever I could to help them.  But I never believed that what they were waiting for could happen.   Now, I know, Harry, because you are alive.  You have the power to free them, to free us all."

**Annay**- It's so great to have some of my old reviewers back!  I was hoping I hadn't lost all of you, so thank you so much for reviewing.  Thanks for putting me on your favorites again.

**Fairyangel24**- Thank you to you too, you're so great to come back after I hadn't update in forever.  Congrats again on the right guess.

**JessieRose**- Another one of my old reviewers!  What more could someone ask for?  Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for reviewing on Five Steps too.  You should update your Marauders story!

**littleporcelianjadoll**-  Ignore her, everyone.  She's just my rabid semi-beta.  But if anyone wants the permanent position of beta, just review and tell me.

**Raiining**- Spelling isn't important, reviewing is!  Thanks.

**Sploogal**- Well, here you go.  Email me when your computer is up and running!

Here it is!  I hope I didn't take too long.  As I mentioned above, I'm interested in getting a beta.  Anyone care to help me?  I really appreciate it, but if you do, I might ask you to beta some of my other stuff too, so be warned.

Thirty seven reviews, yes!  This is so great for my first fic.  Well sort of first, the real first one doesn't really count….   Anyways thanks everybody.  Make my day and try to get me up to 50 reviews!  I'll love you forever if you do!  Sorry, sorry, I'm a review hog.  Keep up the reading and reviewing. Revelations

 


	7. Old Friends

Chapter 7

"How are we supposed to know this isn't some Death Eater trap?" Harry asked slowly.

Wringing his hands wildly, Snape jerked his head at the bodies in the rubble. "Those two caught me. They were going to kill me, but I ran away." He ignored a muttering of "Coward," from one of the twins. "I killed them, but You-Know-Who may know about the people in hiding. He wouldn't know where… but it's only a matter of time."

Ron spoke up. "Harry, how do we know we can trust this slimeball?"

Nodding but not answering, Harry reached out and placed his hands over Snape's head.

The former professor felt an immense charring in his skull, as if someone was taking a shovel and recklessly sorting through his memories. He'd gone through this before, as did all of the Dark Lord's followers, but never this bad. Never this intense. Each memory, each feeling was torn from his brain to be sifted through by Harry. Just before Snape thought he was going to break down or black out, Harry released him.

"He's clean."

Everyone breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. Dean timidly asked, "How are we supposed to get there? We are going there… right?"

_We have to go. We **have** to go. If there are more us we can regroup and keep each other alive. Not to mention no one will feel so bloody alone._ "Yes, we're going." Harry knew what they needed to hear.

Fishing about in his massive pockets, Snape pulled out a ratty quill. "Ever since the takeover the Dark Lord's been allowing unregistered port keys constantly. This one will take us there, when I say an activation spell."

Harry stepped forward confidently and loosely grasped the end of the quill in his hand, so even those with doubts (which was most) shook off their misgivings and gathered round the quill.

Snape muttered something under his breath as the start of the spell, then shouted, "To the survivors!"

The familiar feeling of a portkey gripped Harry's navel, and he felt himself be torn from the ground. A few moments later, he collapsed on a smooth, wet floor, in a chilly, pitch-black room. Noticing the floor was made of earth, he started to push himself up.

Then collapsed again as five more bodies fell on and around him.

"Hey you, move. You've got your foot in my eye!"

"Get off me, you're crushing my ribs!"

"Will someone _please_ get off my head!"

There was the sound of quick scuffling, then someone asked, "Who's on the bottom?"

With a groan, Harry simply said, "Me." He worked his way out of the bodies, then sat down to gather his breath. "Snape, where are you?"

A startled, worn voice sounded from the darkness, a voice Harry could dimly remember, but not place. "Is Snape here then? Who are you all, anyways?"

Someone moved in the darkness to sit by Harry; he was fairly certain it was Ron. He was sure of it when Ron said, "I've got a lighter in my pants pocket… it'll just be a minute."

Sitting quietly and listening to the breathing of unknown people was not at all reassuring. Fred yelled out, "Damnit, hurry it up!" George chimed in. "I want to know who the hell these people are."

"Alright, alright, I've got it now." The clicking of lighter filled the room, and for a brief moment Ron's heart fell as he thought it wouldn't light. Suddenly it was lit, and the timid light wavered in the shadowy darkness. A figure stepped forward from the gloom, revealing the thin face of….

* * *

There, cliffhanger! At least I updated. Any guesses to who's there?

Honestly, I hadn't update because I was sort of hoping for more than two reviews. It was a bit of surprise when that was all I got.

So **thank you** to **JessieRose** and **Fairyangel24**, I love you guys, you're my best fans ever! Thank you, and update again.


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